The Plumbline

He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. (John 1:43, 46) One of the most amazing things we see in the life of Philip is this immediate transition from being just one to 'follow' Jesus, to being one who went out and invited others to follow, as well. He immediately went to his friends and acquaintances - telling them about the one he had met, what he was teaching, and just how much they needed to come 'see for themselves'. In other words, he got excited about his purpose! Too many times we see believers start the journey with such excitement and enthusiasm, but in short order it seems the very thing that 'excited' and 'energized' them so much isn't there any longer. How does that happen? I t

Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good; impatience will get you into trouble. Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the Lord. Do yourself a favor and learn all you can; then remember what you learn, and you will prosper. (Proverbs 18:2-3, 8) Zeal without knowledge may just lead to you and I acting a little too quickly on occasion. Act too quickly and we may just charge ahead when it would have been wiser to stay behind. Zeal is the energy we put into the pursuit of anything or anyone. Too much can get in the way because it messes with God's timing. Too little can get be just as difficult to manage because it makes it difficult to be in the right place at the right time with the right resources in hand. Whenever we move into areas where we do not have personal experience (first-hand knowledge), we might do so with great enthusiasm, but what happens when our movements are just 'enthusiastic'? We don't do very well.  Knowledge is d

When I buy something new, especially some kind of electronic device, or little gadget designed to make my life easier, I usually am pretty excited by it.  I think it will meet whatever need I have and am eager to put it into use in my home, work life, etc.  Have you ever stopped to consider just how short of a time span it really takes for the excitement to wear off?  In my youth, I would have just rushed into decisions, not really considering what I was doing, much less the "why" behind those actions.  As I have grown up a little (and heaven knows I am still "growing up"), I have come to the conclusion rapid decisions and impulsive actions actually have a cost to them I may not want to actually pay.  Excitement fades - reality sets in and it around for a long, long time! Being excited about something is not enough. You must also know what you are doing. Don’t rush into something, or you might do it wrong. People ruin their lives with the foolish things they do

Enthusiasm and Energy - two character traits which often define the progress we make in life.  Lack enthusiasm or energy and any task you take on will seem like a drudgery, weighing you down with its burden.  Sometimes we possess energy, but lack enthusiasm.  When we do, we have all the "burn" we need for the long-haul, but we just don't have the "umph" behind it to make the "haul" enjoyable.  We can also have all the enthusiasm in the world, but lack the energy because it has been sucked out of us by all the other stuff we also have "enthusiasm" for in life!  These two work hand-in-hand, as do many of our other "character traits" we have explored over the past several days.  Today's list is our "E" List - Enthusiasm and Energy. I readily admit that the Jews are impressively energetic regarding God—but they are doing everything exactly backward. They don’t seem to realize that this comprehensive setting-things-right